Article Marketing Guide: An Overview Of The Basics

If the near-deafening buzz surrounding the subject of article marketing is peaking your interest, you're probably overwhelmed by the details associated with the art of optimizing your content. Expert advice and tips abound, but there are several principles that act as a foundation for sem (search engine marketing). Get these down, and you'll find your site making progress in search page ranking relatively quickly.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Learning the art of keyword placement is the main key any article marketing guide you consult will place emphasis on. It's vital because Google (the most prominent search engine in existence to date) sends web crawlers out into the digiverse that seek the very specific keywords and keyword phrases in digital documents that best match the terms entered into their search page. The optimum features Google uses to determine which articles represent the best content have changed over the years, but as of Spring 2011 they are as follows:

Quality text that is written for human consumption

Articles of at least 400 words or more (preferably more)

Articles that incorporate LSI (latent semantic indexing: supportive keywords that relate to the main keywords)

Articles with organic backlinks (high PR sites and social media links help the most)

Keywords sit on potential goldmines, but you don't have to invest a great deal starting off. Finding keywords without premium tools is totally possible. The most efficient free tool available to you for keyword research purposes is the Google adwords tool. Using it is simple. Enter your keyword ideas, and after entering the captcha and submitting it, a database of up to 100 relevant keywords and keyword phrases is delivered. Jot the variations you want to use down, and pay attention to the data in the columns next to them revealing how much competition you have for each keyword and their global and local monthly searches.

You can begin with Google's wonder wheel to find keyword ideas beyond what the adwords tool extends, as well, and further lace your article with the gold of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) words you compile. Google labs offers a tool for this if you would prefer a digital method for finding relevant synonyms for the keywords you select.

Backlinking

Organic backlinks from high PR sites are the most desirable to have, but social backlinking is on the rise and making all the difference in search results. Any article marketing guide worth its salt will emphasize the importance of gaining as many authentic links as possible, and steer you away from purchasing links.

You can acquire backlinks through each RT on twitter (run a promotion using crowdflood or run a contest rewarding the tweeter with the most hashtags of your product or company name), comments made on your favorite blogs, and by having fellow stumblers on stumbleupon select your links for their stumble list.

Niche Branding

Branding your products in a niche that reflects your keywords supercharges your article marketing efforts and enhances your presence as an expert in the field. Experiment with different approaches that provide digital gateways to your brand's expertise in your industry. There might be ideas you never considered that are only effective in your particular market as well. Follow the blog of a niche expert that can act as an article marketing guide in a highly targeted field to spark the light of inspiration in your think tank..

Niche branding approaches vary, but a few ways to bring in a good amount of traffic can be found in:

A wiki set up for your niche

A helpful forum

A group or crowdsourcing page on your favorite social network

An information-packed FAQ for your product or your affiliate sales of a product

General Marketing Tips

If you're new to the marketing field, gain a background in the basic concepts of identifying your target audience and learn to speak their language. Do a bit of research to find the digital and print books past-buyers swear by and consider investing in a few. Basic principles like copywriting, identity and branding will go a long way towards giving you the foundation you need to achieve your goals.

Subscribe to marketing feeds that cover several different angles of the marketing world. Learn from the best. In a shorter time than you might anticipate, you'll find yourself grasping the basics and searching for more advanced approaches to enhancing your target market's response to the branding of your product.

Don't give up too soon. It takes time for articles to be indexed by Google. While you wait, continue to share links in your social networks and on profile pages across the net.

Keep an article marketing guide or two on hand that detail basic, intermediate, and advanced tips. There may be a tip you've forgotten to implement. Looking back over research materials can remind you of the gems that may put your article marketing efforts over the top.